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Catalog Data

Artist:
Hiram Powers, born Woodstock, VT 1805-died Florence, Italy 1873  Search this
Sitter:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  Search this
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  Search this
Medium:
plaster
Dimensions:
18 3/4 x 11 5/8 x 7 1/2 in. (47.5 x 29.5 x 19.2 cm)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
modeled 1869
Luce Center Label:
Hiram Powers often thought about giving up portrait busts to concentrate solely on his ideal sculptures. Some opportunities were too tempting to resist, however, as with the portrait of the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Powers modeled the sculpture out of respect for the poet and as a valuable addition to his busts of notable people; the sitter’s brother and sister as well as many admirers of his poetry commissioned several replicas. This portrait is an example of Powers’s later work during the 1860s, when he modeled his busts after the classical Greek herm design, with a squared-off, tapering base.
Luce Object Quote:
“Visitors to my studio have found a Homeric character in this bust, and some think it the best I have ever done.” Hiram Powers, 1870, in Richard P. Wunder, Hiram Powers, 1989-91
Topic:
Study\sculpture model  Search this
Occupation\writer\poet  Search this
Portrait male\bust  Search this
Portrait male\nude  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Object number:
1968.155.98
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Painting and Sculpture
On View:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 17B
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk77d5ef088-a340-4ef7-b2cf-771d29d7065c
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1968.155.98